<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Fix You by greyone01</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523901">Fix You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyone01/pseuds/greyone01'>greyone01</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>DameRey, Damerey Endgame, Developing Relationship, F/M, JediPilot, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:47:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,889</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyone01/pseuds/greyone01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe Dameron and Rey's journey of healing from wounds they have chosen to ignore during the war.</p>
<p>Inspired by Coldplay's Fix You.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Poe Dameron/Rey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. When you get what you want and not what you need</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Been gone for a bit, but I'm slowly getting my mojo back. I feel really rusty with my writing, the flow isn't as smooth as I would've liked, and this is a tentative attempt to get back into it. A more lengthy explanation at the end -- you don't have to read it, I just wanted to share what the past months have been like.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All her life, Rey had wanted to know who her parents were, where she came from. It was the driving force in everything she did, she believed she wouldn’t have a meaningful existence nor find her life’s purpose if she does not find out where she was from. Ironically, it was in abandoning her search for her origins, and in choosing to instead follow the path BB-8 opened for her, she came upon the very thing she had been looking for all her life. In the end, getting what she desired the most only left her feeling more lost than ever. It wasn’t what she needed, after all.</p>
<p>She tried to reassimilate herself with what was left of the Resistance, hoping that being around friends and allies will give her a sense of belonging. Instead, she felt more confused. Eventually, she realized that in order for her to move on, she must start to make peace with the past and the truths that she discovered.</p>
<p>The lightsabers were constant reminders of one aspect of herself that she knew she must come to terms with. They had lain silent among her meager belongings, yet she always felt their strong presence whenever she was alone in her quarters. Finally yielding to the pull of the weapons, Rey realized that she had to return them to the birthplace of Anakin Skywalker.</p>
<p>She thought she would finally feel some sort of closure, some peace, after laying to rest the twin lightsabers in the warm Tatooine sands. The brief vision of the Skywalker twins gave her affirmation that she had done right by them, bringing a sense of calm to the inner turbulence she had been struggling with. For a moment, she thought she would finally rise above the raging storm inside her; unfortunately, the calm was short-lived and the moment did not last long. All too soon she began to feel an overwhelming pull to her whole being, threatening to drag her back into troubled waters before she could even break to the surface. As she and BB-8 steadily walked toward the descending twin suns, she struggled against the urge to sprint forward, to run as fast as she can, that as if by doing so, she’ll be able to outrun the looming despair.</p>
<p>Just when she started to feel as if she was drowning, she drew into the Force, reaching out for the closest Force signature that felt familiar to her. A wave of panic washed over her as she felt it – felt him – move steadily farther from her. In desperation, she reached out, grazing him with the lightest touch. </p>
<p>Before their journey to Tatooine, she told him this was what she needed to do, she thought it was what she needed to do. Poe Dameron was the only one left on base whom she knew and trusted well enough about this; Finn had already gone with Janna to reconnect and help their fellow ex-stormtroopers, and Chewy chose to go with Lando in the Falcon. She and Poe may have disagreed on a million and one things, but the few that they did agree on were those that truly mattered. She wanted to explain the overpowering desire to go to this wasteland of a planet, but she couldn’t; in the end, it did not matter. Much to her surprise, he simply accepted that this was what she wanted to do, agreeing to take her there, and when she asked him to, leave her there. The only thing he insisted on was for her to take his – their – droid with her.</p>
<p>He must have lingered for a while after she and BB-8 left. It was a relief for her that he did, a relief that she did not have to reach so far out to find him. She may not be as fond of him as she was of Finn or Chewy, but he was, without a doubt, still someone she had grown to care for. She knew that he had turned around now, feeling in the Force his presence getting closer by the minute. A strange feeling of comfort gripped her with this realization.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before the ship that brought her there was landing on the vast open desert in front of her. BB-8 was sprinting towards it before the ship had even powered down, and Rey found herself running behind the droid. It wasn’t a great distance, but she found herself breathless when they were finally standing face to face with the pilot. “You came back!”</p>
<p>He gave her an uncertain smile, self-consciously rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. His words came in rush. “I could be wrong, but I thought I felt you calling me back. If you didn’t, that’s all right, I’ll go. I just figured it wouldn’t hurt to check in case you did.”</p>
<p>She couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “I did, I did call you back.”</p>
<p>He let out a sigh of relief, and though he was smiling back, his tone reflected concern. “What’s the matter?”</p>
<p>“I was wrong,” Rey admitted, her smile faltering. “I thought this was what I needed. I wanted to return their lightsabers here, maybe to get closure and start healing. I wanted so much to figure out what I was going to do, and I thought I would, here.”</p>
<p>“And did you?”</p>
<p>Rey shook her head. “All I know is that I’ve done here what I needed to do on this planet – bury their lightsabers deep in these sands. The rest of it…I still have a lot of working out to do.”</p>
<p>He gave her a wry smile that she found oddly comforting. “Don’t pressure yourself, a lot of us spend our whole lives doing just that. I have at least a decade headstart on you, and I am nowhere close to figuring that out for myself.” He let out a self-conscious chuckle. “So, now that you’ve got me back here, what’s the plan?”</p>
<p>“I –” Rey began, realizing just then that she had not really thought about that. She was so focused on reaching out for him that she hadn’t considered what she was going to do next. She also realized that she hadn’t actually asked or known what he was going to do after leaving Tatooine, she just assumed he will be rejoining the Resistance. Raising her eyes to meet his, she told him the truth. He might get cross, but she would rather deal with one of Poe Dameron’s angry outbursts than be by her lonesome on Tatooine’s endless sands dunes. “I honestly don’t have any. I just knew I didn’t want to be alone right now. I thought I needed to be, but now I know that was a mistake.”</p>
<p>To her surprise, he did not get snarky with her. Raising his eyebrows, he asked, “Hmm, where will we go then?”</p>
<p>“We…” Rey realized then what his return meant. He abandoned whatever plans he had to heed her call. He wasn’t sure, he acted on nothing more but a feeling, but he still came back for her, with the intention of checking if she was all right and helping her however way he can. It made her feel warm inside, knowing that the man in front of her cared enough for her to do all that. Despite all their clashes, despite their differences, at the end of the day, they cared enough to be there when the other needed them.</p>
<p>Hesitant as she was about returning to base, she doesn’t have any alternatives to offer at the moment. She decided she may as well just go back with him, stay around until she gets the next inspiration. “You’re right, I don’t want to be on my own. I don’t know where to go or what to do now, just that I don’t want to be alone. If you want to go back to base, I’ll go back with you, and then maybe see how it goes from there.”</p>
<p>“I wasn’t going back to base,” Poe admitted, shifting on his feet. “Well, at least, not right away. I was going to take a detour to Yavin IV for a long overdue visit.” He looked at her thoughtfully. “Why don’t you come with me? I’m sure my dad won’t mind. And I’ll take you to that tree I told you about.”</p>
<p>“Your Force Tree!” Rey’s eyes lit up, recalling Poe’s stories of the Damerons’ Uneti tree. She was about to nod yes, when she was suddenly gripped by yet another wave of uncertainty. “I wouldn’t be imposing, would I? I mean, if you wanted to see your father –”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it,” Poe interrupted her with a teasing roll of his eyes. He gestured to the ship, his excitement palpable. “Come on, let’s get going. I have a feeling you’ll like Yavin IV.”</p>
<p>Rey gave him a grateful smile, touched beyond words by his actions. Following him to the ship, she paused just before they boarded, gently laying a hand on his forearm. “Thank you, Poe.”</p>
<p>His acknowledgement may have been just a simple nod, but his eyes told her that she was not alone in this, that the change in their plans was not something unwelcomed to him. Without intending to, it seemed that they were both starting to figure out how to finally move on. It seemed that they may have finally begun to heal.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Lights will guide you home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was spur of the moment decision, largely because for the first time in Force-knows-when, Poe Dameron actually had some spare time. Despite the lengthy travel time, he would still have several days, almost a full two weeks, before he was expected back on base. When Rey came to him about going to Tatooine, there was something about her demeanor that stopped him from asking her more about it. Then, when she asked him to take her there, Poe knew that it was likely going to be a one-way trip for her – Rey had already proven herself to be quite a skilled pilot, and with the war over, there were plenty of ships available for her to take. He correctly deduced that the only reason she would ask to be flown there was that she had no plans of going back to base.</p>
<p>He was surprised to find himself feeling gutted about the whole trip. A part of him was a bit jealous that she seemed to have figured out how to move on now that there were no more battles to fight, something he certainly was still working on. Admittedly, since their victory, Poe had been feeling hollow inside, and he was getting more and more uncertain each day as to what was his purpose now. He had spent practically his entire adult life fighting for their cause. Victory was something he was tremendously grateful for, but it happened much too soon than he could ever have imagined. It was not something unwelcomed, but it was certainly something he was not prepared for.</p>
<p>Then again, maybe victory happened not quite soon enough. It had been a very costly war, and he had lost count of how many brothers and sisters in arms he had lost over the years. It was physically, emotionally and mentally so very exhausting. Survivors like him did not have the luxury of grieving for those who were gone, they cannot even take a moment to stand back and lick their wounds. They were pushed to learn how to quickly lock away their grief, because they had to keep fighting. He had to learn how to numb himself from the sting of the losses, convincing himself that the best way to honor the fallen was to push on and keep going.</p>
<p>To the few of them left standing, most, if not all, had long accepted that they will likely not live to see the end. Poe himself had long ago resigned himself to the fact that chances are, he will be killed in action; he certainly came close too many times to count. Therefore, he had never given any serious thought as to what he will do after the war. </p>
<p>Now that he’s gotten to the end, he simply feels lost. He can grieve freely now, but after years of pushing it back, he honestly does not even know how. A part of him was terrified of digging up those long-buried feelings, fearing for the pain that surely will come with reopening those wounds. There were, however, no more battles and missions to stop him from dealing with the hurt that has been festering inside.</p>
<p>Rey seemed to be the only other person around him who may have been experiencing the same listlessness. Everyone else seemed to know exactly what they were going to do next. Poe saw each of them off, sincerely wishing them the best yet silently fighting to quash the building anxiety in him. He’s been telling everyone that he had to stay behind and run the base, hoping they don’t see beyond his façade. If they did, and he suspects that most of them saw through his convenient excuse, they were kind enough to leave him be. The number of people he knew well on base began to steadily dwindle, until it was only Rey and a handful of subordinates whom he knew nothing more than their names. Why Rey stayed behind for so long, he doesn’t exactly know. He surmised that, perhaps, like him, she was unsure of what to do next.</p>
<p>Until one day, Rey announced she was leaving. It may have taken her longer than the others to decide what to do next, but it seemed she eventually worked it out. As he had with the others, Poe tried his best to be supportive. He did not badger her to tell him more; instead, he made arrangements for a leave of absence for a few days in case her plans included him staying around in Tatooine for a bit. He wouldn’t terribly mind if they did; he hoped that they did.</p>
<p>The reality was that the base did not have much need of him anymore. The small group of officers he had been working with were more than capable in running a command center that was becoming increasingly useless. It was yet another thing that he had been refusing to accept – that it was only a matter of time for the Resistance to completely disband now that they’ve rid the galaxy of their oppressors.</p>
<p>Poe knew he can take as much time off as he wanted, and should he choose to, he can leave the base for good. However, he doesn’t feel quite ready yet to fully cut the cord, so he had decided to just go for a few days. He also figured that despite the lack of a concrete plan, he’ll be able to put those days away to good use. If he was included in some way to whatever Rey needed to do in Tatooine, he’s more than willing to put up with her bossiness, if only to use that as a means to delay what he clearly needs to do: put serious effort in figuring out what everyone else around him seem to have already done for themselves. If he was being honest to himself, he also was not quite ready to let go of the last person left with him that he had fought side by side with, someone he had grown to care for.</p>
<p>As it turned out, she only needed him to take her there. Tatooine was so utterly desolate and just as inviting as Jakku, that while Poe respected Rey enough not to argue with her decision to stay, leaving her alone on that planet simply felt wrong. Thankfully, BB-8 had come along, and he found himself entrusting the astromech to her. He certainly had no plans to part ways with BB-8, but he just could not let her go alone in good conscience. BB-8 seemed to feel the same, promising to look after its Master Rey and, more discreetly, promising to contact its Master Poe at the first sign of trouble. There was no chance to ask the droid how exactly it planned to do that, and fortunately, there was no need for him to find out.</p>
<p>As he watched Rey and the droid walk away from the ship, Poe found himself feeling more lost than ever. More than ever, he wanted a clear direction on what to do now with his life. Ensconced in the ship, in the middle of the desert, he finally allowed himself to search deep within for the clarity he was seeking, losing track of time as he got lost in his thoughts. In his musings, he realized that the last time he felt quite certain of which path to take was when he left home to join the navy. It was a decision that took him days, weeks and even months to commit to. Suddenly, as if a lightbulb had gone on in his head, Poe knew he had to go back to the place where he made his last life-changing decision.</p>
<p>Buoyed by this realization, he busied himself firing up the ship’s engines and setting the coordinates to Yavin IV. He knew he would most likely second-guess himself about his choice, and he wanted to be well underway his trip by the time that happened. However, he had barely broken atmo when he was gripped by a very strong feeling to go back. He quickly scanned his ship’s systems, checking for any possible messages from BB-8. Despite finding none, he found himself unable to ignore the feeling. Trusting mostly on his gut feel, he turned the ship around.</p>
<p>When he found them, when she told him, Poe found himself saying a silent prayer of thanks, for following his instinct to heed the feeling, for Rey changing her mind, and for her reaching out to him (despite knowing realistically, he probably just happened to be the closest one spatially). In an unguarded moment after reuniting, she let him see that she had been feeling just as lost as he was. Hoping she will go with him, he offered to take her to where he was going. He thought it was probably a long shot, but he took it anyway.</p>
<p>She said yes, and Poe knew there would be no second-guessing his decision to go home. It seemed that it was exactly where they were meant to go. It felt like the start of another long journey, perhaps a longer one than the last, but at least it seemed that they will have the other to guide them to the path the universe meant for them to take.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. When you try your best but you don't succeed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A brief interlude, from Kes Dameron's point of view.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I thought you’d be ecstatic your boy’s back.”</p><p>Kes Dameron, who was sitting on his porch steps with his face on his hands, looked up and saw his neighbor, Motu Alpe, standing a few meters before him. His fellow farmer and once brother-in-arms was giving him a quizzical look. Kes gave him a weary smile. “I am, but I wasn’t prepared for this.”</p><p>“This?”</p><p>Kes gestured to the empty space beside him, inviting his friend to sit.  Kes sighed as Motu settled beside him. “He’s back, but it’s like this man was not the boy who left for the navy almost two decades ago. I feel like I don’t even know him now.”</p><p>“Twenty years is a long time, Dameron,” Motu pointed out. “Even longer if you were fighting in a war. You weren’t the same man you were before and after our war.”</p><p>“I wasn’t,” Kes agreed. “Our war…it wasn’t really over when we thought it was. It became their war as well. Seems like we failed them.”</p><p>“Seems like we did, but then again, if we hadn’t started the fight when we did or fought like we did, then maybe their generation wouldn’t have lived to see the end of it.”</p><p>“That’s why I kept fighting, so they wouldn’t have to,” Kes sighed again. He kept his eyes trained to a spot on the ground a few meters in front of them. “He tries to hide it from me, I know he does, but I can see he’s one of them – the walking wounded. Every day I see him pushing himself to exhaustion in the farm, because he has trouble sleeping at night, and when he does get any sleep, he’ll often wake up at some point sobbing or even screaming. I’m trying my best to help, comfort him, but I don’t think I’m getting through.”</p><p>Motu looked at him sympathetically. “It may seem like that now, but don’t give up. Try and try harder. Even if you don’t succeed, at least he’ll know you’re not giving up on him.” His tone was softer as he continued, “I was probably like that, after the war. Talya said I terrified her, but she stuck around, and I know I would probably have not gotten through it without her.”</p><p>“I wish Shara was here,” Kes said wistfully, his friend’s mention of his wife making him think of his. “She’d know what to do, and she’d do so much better than me.”</p><p>“She probably will, but it is what it is,” Motu agreed with a sad smile. “At least your boy’s got one more parent around, which is more than what any of us had.”</p><p>Both men sat in contemplative silence, their conversation taking them back to a time decades ago when they were struggling to come to terms with how the war broke them. Kes had lost both of his parents long before the end of the fighting, with Shara and Poe being his main sources of strength in his post-war struggles.</p><p>Their silence was broken by Motu, asking the question Kes knew everyone has been dying to ask. “That girl Poe’s brought with him, are they…?”</p><p>“I honestly don’t know,” Kes admitted. Poe had introduced her as Rey Skywalker, the name not escaping Kes, a friend with nowhere else to go. It wasn’t clear to Kes what kind of friendship they shared, and he didn’t push. “He said she was the last padawan of Luke and Leia, and he brought her here to see the Uneti tree. They’re friends, but sometimes I wonder…they can be quarrelling like archenemies one minute, yet they seem to sense when the other needs them and will abandon whatever task they were doing to rush to the other. I haven’t seen them getting affectionate with each other, but sometimes the way they look at each other makes me wonder.”</p><p>“She’s a Skywalker, isn’t she?”</p><p>“By name, not by blood. I don’t know her real last name, but she said she took on the name Skywalker to honor her mentors Luke and Leia. She is strong with the Force, but she never got to finish her Jedi training,” Kes explained, thinking of one of the few conversations he had with Rey. She was a timid young woman, and he could sense that she was not quite ready to bring down her walls around him. Despite that, he could see that she also was, albeit in a different way, as wounded as his son was. “They seemed close enough, they obviously care about each other, but how deeply, I have no idea.”</p><p>“Perhaps she could help you with your son,” Motu suggested. “She came here with him, after all. That has to count for something.”</p><p>“I think she has no family left,” Kes said, with a tinge of sadness. “I know how that felt, to be without a home to go back to. That was why Shara and I decided to settle here. We both had nowhere to return to, but we wanted to give our child that – a place where he can always go back to.”</p><p>“Where are they, by the way?”</p><p>Kes shrugged. “The Force Tree, maybe? She spends a lot of time there, and Poe just muttered something about Rey earlier today while he was helping me fix the speeder.”</p><p>“Like when we were putting away the harvest the other day?”</p><p>Kes nodded, recalling how Poe abruptly jumped off the harvester that day, calling over his shoulder that he needed to find Rey. The pilot’s distress was obvious enough to stop anyone from making wise-cracks about his hasty departure. Kes had merely shrugged when the others looked to him for explanation that day, himself not understanding what it was about. “That happens quite often, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if they have some sort of telepathy.”</p><p>He paused, a thought suddenly occurring to him. “Come to think of it, she always gets to him first whenever his night terrors happen. Or even senses it before he starts screaming or crying out loud. The other night, Poe went to bed earlier than the rest of us, I was doing the farm’s books and Rey was fixing or cleaning the droid. She suddenly looked up, whispered his name and was off to his room.”</p><p>“Of course, you followed.”</p><p>“Of course, I did,” Kes frowned at his friend. “I just felt it in my bones that something was wrong. When I got there, he was sobbing with his head on his hands. She was quietly sitting beside him, with her hand lightly resting on his back.”</p><p>“It does seem like they have a connection.”</p><p>Kes gave his friend a sad smile. “I suppose I should be thankful that they seem to be helping each other, but I guess that would render me pretty useless, then, huh?”</p><p>It was Motu’s turn to frown. “Dameron, self-pity doesn’t suit you. Poe could’ve gone anywhere in the galaxy with her, if all they needed was each other, but he chose to come home to you. Besides, I know you and your boy, you have been through hell and back together, your relationship is the stuff of legends. It’s you, old man, your boy came back for you.”</p><p>The two men fell silent once more, seemingly lost in their thoughts. Eventually, the sight of the pair they had been discussing caught their attention. Poe and Rey were walking leisurely side by side on the long dirt road that led to the farmhouse, too far for Kes and Motu to see their faces clearly. Still, despite the distance, Kes could see the easy way of their stride.</p><p>“I think that’s my cue to go, pal,” Motu said, tilting his head to the direction of the younger Dameron and his companion. He grunted as he got back on his feet. “No one comes back from war without wounds, and some don’t make it back home at all. Thank the Force that your son’s back, and he seemed to have brought you a daughter as well. Give them space, but don’t give up on them. Sometimes, just being around is enough.”</p><p>“Who are you and what have you done with my cranky old buddy?” Kes remarked in jest, but his eyes conveyed the gratitude he felt for his friend. Motu snorted, gave him a small salute, and then set off on the same dirt road. Kes watched as the distance closed between his friend and the pair. The three stopped briefly as their paths crossed, seemed to have a bit of a chat before continuing on their way. Kes got up as Poe and Rey got closer. </p><p>“Sorry for leaving you with the speeder, Dad,” Poe apologized. “I’ll work on it tonight, if you haven’t finished it yet.”</p><p>Kes waved his apology away. “Don’t worry about that, it can wait ‘til morning.”</p><p>“You were working on a speeder?” Rey quipped, her eyes lighting in interest. </p><p>Kes nodded. “Poe was helping, he knows a bit more about engines than me.”</p><p>Rey snickered, making Poe roll his eyes. Kes regarded them in amusement. “Or maybe he doesn’t?”</p><p>“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way, Mr. Dameron,” Rey replied, unable to stop herself from grinning. “He’s quite good with engines, but he’s not the best –"</p><p>“What she meant was that she’s better than me in fixing engines,” Poe grumbled, interrupting her. Rey shot him a triumphant look.</p><p>“Is that so? Then, by all means, have a go at that old speeder,” Kes remarked graciously. “This is probably nothing like those fancy ones you got at the base, though.”</p><p>“Doesn’t matter,” Rey replied. Her smiled faltered a little bit as she seemed to realize something. “But it’s okay if you both want to spend some time together working on it. I don’t want to –”</p><p>“You’re not overstepping,” Poe interrupted once more, though this time with gentleness on his tone. “You might actually be averting a Dameron brawl.”</p><p>“He’s right,” Kes agreed, once again fascinated by their interaction. While there was no doubt that the two had some sort of rivalry between them, Rey graciously easily gave up a chance to outdo Poe when she realized that the activity may mean more to him, whereas Poe seemed to have subtly reassured her to quiet an insecurity she has. Kes realized then that it wasn’t just him trying to figure out his place in this - all of them were. He saw the wisdom in his friend’s words, and for now, just being around each other was enough.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for all the support -- the kudos, the kind words and taking time to read this. It will be back to Poe/Rey's POV in the next chapters.</p><p>Stay safe everyone!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First of all, thank you for everyone who's read, left kudos and given comments to my other works. Your support couldn't have come at a better time, I had all but abandoned writing for reasons cited below. </p>
<p>I was massively disappointed by the Rise of Skywalker, I honestly have read fanfiction that are waaaay better than that farce of a movie. For a while after seeing the movie, I thought that was it for me and the sequel trilogy. I thought it was time to move on, much like how you have to force yourself to move on after a failed relationship.</p>
<p>Then the (Australian) bushfires happened, and just as that was settling, we were all suddenly in a pandemic. Star Wars and ships and everything else seemed so trivial when the world around you was drastically changing, and when you find yourself in a very real situation that could very well end badly. I've had to face my mortality practically at all hours, every day, every week. I am a medical officer, and the changes to my life and work had been brutal - going on duty for 12 straight days with only a 48-hour respite at the end, and then you repeat the cycle all over again. I go home to empty lodgings, because it was too risky to be with family. After work, I had to check the news, get as much information as I could about this virus, and liaise with colleagues to try to improve the flimsy battleplan we had. All leaves/holidays were cancelled (and to date, there is still no sign that we'll be allowed this anytime soon). I've lost colleagues and mentors to the virus, and a few months ago, I</p>
<p>It was dark times, and it still is. Eventually, I've needed to find an escape, an outlet, to keep sane. Reading Damerey fanfiction had always been my guilty pleasure, and many thanks to the wonderful fics put out by Damerey writers post-ROS, I've kept my sanity and even rekindled my love for this ship. I started writing again a couple of weeks ago, and I must admit it was such a welcome exercise and a very effective means to escape reality.</p>
<p>So now I'm back into this foray. The writing helps, and maybe later on I'll try other fandoms, but at the moment, I don't have the mental capacity and motivation for that. For now, I just want to retreat to characters that are familiar and close to my heart. Poe and Rey and the stories Damerey writers put them in are the familiarity and comfort that I realized I had been seeking these past months, and my output here is my attempt in getting back into this familiar space that I love.</p>
<p>Take care everyone. Stay safe.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>